Favre, Jets sued for sexual harassment, but not by Sterger

And now we know why the two massage therapists who claim that former Jets quarterback Brett Favre subjected them to unwelcome advances opted not to cooperate with the NFL’s investigation.

They chose silence because they were planning to sue Favre.

Andrea Canning and Jessica Hopper of ABC’s Good Morning America reports that Christina Scavo and Shannon O’Toole have filed suit against Favre, the Jets, and Lisa Ripi, the woman who supposedly hires massage therapists for the team. The suit has been filed in New York state court.

Scavo contends that Favre treated her like a “hanging slab of meat,” and that Favre wanted to have a three-way with Scavo and another therapist.

Favre allegedly sent text messages to the other therapist, who is unnamed, inviting the other therapist and Scavo to “get together” because he was “all alone.” In another message, he allegedly said, “Kinda lonely tonight. I guess I have bad intentions.” (If that’s all he ever did, that’s not sexual harassment.)

Scavo alleges that her husband demanded an apology from Favre, who “responded in an appropriate manner and refused.” (It’s not sexual harassment to refuse to apologize for something that someone thinks may have been sexual harassment.)

Scavo also alleges that neither Scavo nor O’Toole received work opportunities with the Jets again. (That could be a problem for the defendants, especially if Favre’s reaction to the demand for an apology was to insist on Scavo and O’Toole never again being asked to work for the team.)

Attorney Elizabeth Eilender, who represents the two women, offered up some strong rhetoric in a statement to ABC: “I suspect that this case is only the tip of the iceberg with respect to the harassment and discrimination experienced by women working for NFL teams and their players as well as all of men’s professional sports. I hope that Ms. Scavo’s and Ms. O’Toole’s courage to bring this suit will empower other women to come forward without fear of retaliation and retribution in order to protect their livelihoods and self-respect.”

Eilender told ABC that suit was filed only after the Jets refused to give them their jobs back, but that doesn’t really mesh with the time line. By all appearances, the situation was a dead issue until the Jenn Sterger story hit Deadspin, prompting Scavo’s husband to contact the media in early October. At the time, they had not hired a lawyer, so the filing of the lawsuit wasn’t some final act in a carefully-engineered two-year strategy.

Instead, our somewhat educated guess is that the massage therapists got “lawyered up” not long after the Sterger situation emerged, that they decided not to talk to the NFL because anything they said to the NFL could and would have been used against them in the litigation, and they decided to sue, perhaps after demanding a settlement from Favre and/or the Jets.

On the surface, we don’t see enough to make us think that sexual harassment occurred. It’s possible that the stronger claim is against Favre, the Jets, and/or Ripi for freezing them out after Scavo’s husband confronted Favre.

Either way, Favre’s third retirement from the NFL won’t be starting out as smoothly as he surely hoped.

124 responses to “Favre, Jets sued for sexual harassment, but not by Sterger”

We should start by keeping women the hell out of locker rooms as reporters when guys are walking around 1/2 naked.
I don’t see this access for men in the WNBA !
This is as stupid as the person who walked into the NCAA and said “this is title and girls need to have as many teams as boys because it’s unfair”.
That is a joke.
Women don’t even go to see women’s teams play so why should they have equal treatment?

Attny. Eilender…Keep this one right with the jets honey..No need to branch out to other teams or sports.

Am hoping you have pretty feet & enjoy the pleasures of getting your toes sucked…not to mention Domination, Humiliation and …Fisting….because theres a really cool head coach there who loves all of that…and more!!!

“Want to get together? I’m all alone”. How horrific it must have been to hear those words. I hope Favre is thrown in jail for that. Or at the very least, I hope some woman calls Favre on the phone and says “Hi Brett, I’m all alone, want to get together,” just so he can see how it feels to be treated like that.

This is ironic, because just yesterday I went to Arby’s and ordered a classic roast beef sandwich. The guy behind the counter asked if I wanted fries with that. I am thinking of suing him for sexual harrasment.

“Kinda lonely tonight. I guess I have bad intentions.” (If that’s all he ever did, that’s not sexual harassment

Yeh, as a husband and you read that, that’s freaking sexual harrasment. What else is it? Flirting? Well guess what flirting with someone you work with who doesn’t want to be flirted with is called? Sexual Harrasment. And maybe not by the book, but like porn you know it when you see it.

Not real strong technical legal claims, but it sure ain’t gonna be good for Lord Favre on the home front. Even if he wins, he loses with this publicity. He must have denied any pre-litigation settlement demands, seeing as how they took this right up to the statutory limitation period for initiating litigation. It will be interesting to hear what Bus Cook says.

Ironically Bert has done Green Bay fans a profound service, going undercover to destroy the Vikings from within. Not only that, but he did it in the most cruel way possible, by bringing them almost to a Super Bowl, only to dash those dreams with 12 men in the huddle followed by an interception. Then a long, drama filled laughingstock year.
You should have a parade and give him the key to the city.

The question isn’t whether YOU see sexual harassment in these actions, but whether a “jury of their peers” sees it.

I’m not a lawyer, but I’ve been in corporate America long enough to know about what liability, code of conduct, etc.

If just about anyone who comes to this site did the same as Favre, in a regular workplace, they’d be fired. The fact that football players don’t have a “regular workplace” doesn’t mean that everyone else who reports to the facility in Florham Park doesn’t. They do. The focus will be on whether the Jets, the entire organization, put in place a policy of dealing respectfully with employees that don’t pull down a six figure salary for knocking each others blocks off. (I’m guessing the answers no)

Everything Jets related will be on trial: Gate D, Inez Sainz, Jenn Sterger, and whatever else crawls out of the woodwork in the meantime.

You can call them any names you want, you can decry the liberalization of our country, you can moan and cry about it, but it won’t help. The bottom line is that this is where we’re at, and those are the rules. The impact will be league wide.

Ugh… He made you feel like a hanging slab of meat?? All I want to see is that one of these chicks girlfriends comes out and says that they had some interest in Favre or a 3-some. PLEASE!!!!! Money hungry Bi#ches!

If Favre wanted to get it on with a married woman, he and two guys should have responded to one of Rex’s invitation. Rex coulda sat in the corner while his wife was “defiled”. Everybody woulda been happy. Especially “Bi-Curios” Rex.

Clueless Idiots here. First,,,you have 4 years to file ANY sort of Civil claim. Second, this is not just about Favre, this is the fact that the Jets never hired them again, and if the Jets don’t have a action of clause to do so,,,they are in deep you know what. There is a definite pattern here with the Jets as an organazation. I mean yeah Favre was an Idiot for doing this and leaving proof by texting, and YES,,,just Initiating a flirting type of text IS sexual Harrasment people. Add to the fact the Inez ” situation and these girls definitely have a legit claim.

So this is not about Favre per se, so stop refering to these girls as non-victims,,,cause they are.

Scavo and O’Toole hope to use the money to move uptown from their massage parlor location in the low rent red light district, and rid themselves of their current business manager, Slim Willie Sweetness.

I’ll try to be a lot more careful in the future now that hitting on someone is harassment.
If I cross paths with an attractive woman who dresses provocatively or flirts with me I’ll run the other way- oh wait, I got no $$$, so me thinks I’m safe…

Kinda lonely tonight. I guess I have bad intentions. That’s the most egregious thing they could find to put in the complaint? Most women have heard thousands of lines like that. If you can’t figure out how to handle such a pitiful come-on, God help you if you get into a situation that really is threatening.

But all this will probably have a chilling effect like Fatal Attraction. Bet Favre and other married players will think twice before they try to chat up the next woman who passes by.

@thetooloftools …

Uh … what does a lawsuit by two massage therapists have to do with female reporters in the locker room? And yes, male reporters are allowed access to the WNBA locker room.

This dirtbag, is finally held responsible for his stupidity. It was widely known in WI for 17yrs that he was a lady chasing drunk, coke head. The Packers did a good job of covering for him. Finally caught up to him.

How did Favre get these woman’s numbers? I assume everything was arranged through the Jet’s organization since it sounds that way in the article, so the women had to at some point give Favre their numbers. For what purpose exactly?

For it to be sexual harassment it has to be UNWANTED sexual attention. Which is the problem with the whole Sterger incident. If she was flirting with him, then it wasn’t sexual harassment. In this case it may very well have been unwanted, but the question becomes why would these women be texting with Favre in the first place? And of course the bigger question is whether they kept one or two texts out of context or if both sides of the conversation will be brought to light.

The fact that it’s taken this long to come forward is suspicious. Why not sue immediately after losing their jobs instead of waiting two years all the while keeping the offending texts on your phone?

pervyharvin says:Jan 3, 2011 6:32 PM Christina Scavo and Shannon O’Toole should be sentenced to death by Shiancoe’s tool…
…………………………………………………………………….
Dude you aren’t funny at all. Very lame. Get a life. Didnt you start your own web site yet? What about your boxing career?
Your just a plain dope with issues.

(quote: (USA TOday: “”I suspect that this case is only the tip of the iceberg with respect to the harassment and discrimination experienced by women working for NFL teams and their players as well as all of men’s professional sports,” she told ABC News.”

=========================

duh… just go back to Payton Manning days at Tennessee, ‘sitting’ on the ‘face’ of a (lady)physical therapist…
never cared for the guy since that come out. Hope Eli wasn’t an idiot in college (or NFL).

Men confuse… those Asian massage pallors along most commercial streets in every city… get a massage and for tip… a good ending…

So… Brett should messed up his marriage… its called.. ‘discreet’ fools… didn’t your Dads tell you to keep it in your pants…

You got enough money to just pay high priced escorts… also listed in every major yellow pages..
FOOLs

Um…..yeah. Not much point in suing people with no money. This is the way the system works. If you get run over by a tanker truck you don’t sue the truck driver, you sue Exxon.

I love the way all the He-Man hero worshippers on here attack only the women. The fact is, whether this is technically harassment or not, if he had kept his phone (and other things) in his pocket, you know like married men are supposed to do, none of this would have happened. Period.

And if there are three examples from one season, no doubt there are dozens more. Stop defending this cheating ass clown.

This story is pathetic and is the main reason why people hate lawyers. A couple of ambulance-chasing losers from NY just had to take this case on contingency. I have read the complaint and there is no viable claims. Favre texting a woman that he is lonely and wants to hang out means nothing. What’s more, these women were part-time workers in training camp. Once the team moved its headquarters, it did not require their services anymore. Think about this, why would they wait until now to come out with this if they had been fired in 2008? Are we really expected to believe that they were awaiting the NFL to do something to Favre? And who keeps text messages for two years? I know who, someone who wants to blackmail someone else. My final issue with the complaint is that the attorneys act like the Jets are the only team who has men who like women. Go to any locker room in America and add a scantily clad woman and you can be sure there will be some comments/looks. Let’s just end this witch hunt of the Jets before it begins because its a waste of time and energy.

Money grubbing bitches. Like they’ve never been hit on before! Guys hit on my wife daily…I don’t sue them or demand an apology. It’s a fact of life and Favre didn’t do anything different than any other dude.

So Favre, who just this summer agreed to come back in 2010 for reported $20 mil this year alone, has TWICE decided to be a cheapskate and not pay off accusors of sexual misconduct, and now TWICE has to face the public humiliation and embarrassment for his sexual promiscuity.

Hey Brett, who the hell is advising you? You’ve got a bazillion dollars …… if you’re going to perv out, PAY THE WOMEN TO SHUT UP AND GO AWAY!!!!!!

Sorta funny/predictable that Favrah hangs around the NFL 20 some-odd years and the only time these accusations surfaced were from one year in the cesspool that is the New Jersey Jets. Nothing in 15+ years in Atlanta or Green Bay and nothing in Minnesota.

richm2256 says: Jan 3, 2011 8:57 PM
So Favre, who just this summer agreed to come back in 2010 for reported $20 mil this year alone, has TWICE decided to be a cheapskate and not pay off accusors of sexual misconduct, and now TWICE has to face the public humiliation and embarrassment for his sexual promiscuity.

Perhaps he is not paying them off because he is innocent? Would you pay somebody off on something you never did? If so, you are a weak human being my friend.

Question are the massage girls employees of the Jets or are they employed by another firm or are they Independent Contractors? If they are not employed by the Jets then they will have a problem with the case against Farve.

thetooloftools says:
Jan 3, 2011 6:31 PM
We should start by keeping women the hell out of locker rooms as reporters when guys are walking around 1/2 naked.
I don’t see this access for men in the WNBA !
This is as stupid as the person who walked into the NCAA and said “this is title and girls need to have as many teams as boys because it’s unfair”.
That is a joke.
Women don’t even go to see women’s teams play so why should they have equal treatment?

———————————————
Do you know how to read they were NOT REPORTERS They were massage therapists

It’s not about worshipping Favre or attacking women. Some stories have no good guys.

Off the field, Favre is a dog and not very good at it. Maybe that “homeboy all alone in the big city” stuff works with some women, but to me it seems as though he wants easy companionship and is too cheap to pay for it. But that doesn’t make these women grand examples of fair womanhood.

If you’re going to work in the sex industry like Sterger, you have to be prepared to handle an occasional proposition. Same thing if you’re going to be a massage therapist for professional athletes. If you’re a woman over 18 and can’t figure out how to answer “I’m all alone and have bad intentions,” you need to work in a convent. Nothing in these situations rises to the level of sexual harassment, and treating greedy opportunists like victims is a slap in the face to women who have been victimized in the workplace. If these women had cases, they’d have pursued them at the time. These are just sharks who smell blood in the water.

That attorney is hoping to get some money in this ‘case’. Then she can get more clients from all the other pro sports and make a billion dollars. That’s why WE NEED TORT REFORM. The plaintiff should have to pay when they lose!!! This whole thing is a JOKE.

theoriginalcaptainmarvel says:
Jan 3, 2011 10:35 PM
That attorney is hoping to get some money in this ‘case’. Then she can get more clients from all the other pro sports and make a billion dollars. That’s why WE NEED TORT REFORM. The plaintiff should have to pay when they lose!!! This whole thing is a JOKE.
————————————————
+1

Perhaps he is not paying them off because he is innocent? Would you pay somebody off on something you never did? If so, you are a weak human being my friend.
————————————————-

Wake up, Cinderella; It happens all the time in this world, though I sincerely doubt Favre’s “innocence”, in either this matter or the Sterger matter.

In either case,the plaintiffs/victims would have to have something to substantiate their accusations. Sterger had text messages and photos. These women surely have some “cards” that will have to be laid on the table if the lawsuit is to proceed.

One does not sue without some sort of evidence, against a particular party, and in order to procure a settlement, they both likely made Favre aware of their evidence and he chose to believe both times that he could beat it. He’s been wrong once already, he should have learned to just pay them off.

Favre’s got bigger things to worry about than this frivolous lawsuit. He better sleep with 1 eye open, hoping his wife Deanna doesn’t go all “Elin Nordegren” on his a$$. He should call Tiger for some advice on how to avoid the 3-wood to the head. Putz!

Be careful. RealityPolice “knows” a friend of a friend of sterger(read: he/she is a snitch) Shocking only a few know about Stergers past. Theres more. And they don’t even half to talk about playboy or maxim. Ask realitypolice what sterger said about big bens accuser. I’ll wait.

Brett is a clown like reality said, but he/she feeds on gossip and misery so he/she is also a clown.

OK, Favre is a pig. . . plain & simple. I first and foremost feel sorry for his lovely and gracious wife.

Favre’s fame went to his head and he became a narciscistic prima-donna. Favre had a great things with the Packers but threw temper tantrums. He threatened to retire so many times it wore out the Packer staff and the fans, not to mention the media. It was all done for attention and to leave everyone one on the edge of their seat.

Favre ruined his reputation. He is now known by everyone as a sleazy adultress fool!

Don’t you miss the days when women were legally our property? I mean, what is wrong with these women working as reporters, or massage therapist who have the audacity to not want to be groped or “treated like a piece of meat.” Frankly, if you are an attractive women with a career, being constantly flirted with and hit on is part of the job. If you don’t like it, you can always become a house wife.

Seriously. Football fans, as a group, have got to be one of the stupidest categories of people. I’m not talking about this particular case, I’m talking about the attitude and the reasons for attacking these women (very quickly I might add). I feel bad for any women in most of your lives.

Deb, I’m very surprised at your attitude.

“If you’re going to work in the sex industry like Sterger, you have to be prepared to handle an occasional proposition. Same thing if you’re going to be a massage therapist for professional athletes.”

Sex industry? Sterger wasn’t in the “sex industry” when the incident involving Favre happened. And I know a few models that would disagree with you branding the entire industry that of strictly “sex.” (I’m sure I can guess what your response would be, but how much of it could be said for being an actor or musician, but you didn’t brand those “sex industries.”)

And you are really softening the accusation by calling it an “occasional proposition.” You simply don’t know enough about what actually happened to say that, and should be ashamed of yourself for jumping to that conclusion so quickly, when we both know that you are more than intelligent enough to know to wait until more facts come out.

As for the rest of you, I await you well thought out, forward thinking replies.

Reminds me of the Ben Roethlisberger case. Soon every NFL player will have committed sexual assualt and or harrassment in the workplace against reporters and massage therapists. The number of women *suffering* from these acts will be in the thousands.

Flirting and harassment are 2 different things. I consider harassment as multiple unwanted solicitation. Based on what is on here, they dont have a case. I think they know this but wants Farve and Jets to pay $1,000,000 or so just to have the problem go away. Someone worth $200,000,000, it might be worth it to avoid 80 hours of court time, preparation or otherwise.

Farve is my favorite FB player of all time no matter what happens. However, i wish these athletes use their heads more… You are Brett Farve… The world is after your money… Your better off with a high price hotchie that can keep quite.

Well here we go with this bandwagon crap again. These girls must have watched the whole Tiger Woods scandal and their half minded as*es got together and saw dollar signs like everyone else before me with any sense said. The bottom line is they are young attractive females “aspiring to work in the NFL as call girls rubbing down half naked men!!”, and they don’t expect to get hit on? Lol HORSE SH*T!! They probably planned on doing this when they started this job. Hey!, here is a question for you guys. How the hell did Brett get the girls number he was supposedly “harassing”? Maybe she gave it to him when she was sexually harassing him! Lol ever think about that. Let it go dumb b*tch!

Eilender told ABC that suit was filed only after the Jets refused to give them their jobs back, but that doesn’t really mesh with the time line. By all appearances, the situation was a dead issue until the Jenn Sterger story hit Deadspin, prompting Scavo’s husband to contact the media in early October. At the time, they had not hired a lawyer, so the filing of the lawsuit wasn’t some final act in a carefully-engineered two-year strategy.

I don’t think they claimed that it was the final act in a long-term strategy. Here’s a possible explanation that makes some sense:

These woman may have been sexually harassed by Favre (making judgments one way or the other based on the slight amount of information we have now on an in-progress lawsuit seems foolish), realized that he was a very famous and beloved professional athlete, and decided that they wouldn’t be believed, so they opted not to file suit. After all, they’re massage therapists, which most folks who comment on this site seem to read as “prostitute”, and he’s a married guy whose wife writes books about the power of faith. Filing a lawsuit, presumably, sounded like it wouldn’t get them the result they wanted, and it’d make them targets for all sorts of vitriol from Packers and Jets fans who hate the idea of a hero being tarnished. Rather than sue, they ask him to apologize, which he doesn’t, and then they’re left feeling wronged but with no recourse outside of a lawsuit that would put targets on their backs and not be believed by anyone anyway.

But then the Sterger thing happens, and there’s actual photographic evidence that Brett Favre sends out harassing and wildly inappropriate text messages to women employed by the teams he plays for, and suddenly there’s a chance that they’ll get some justice and be heard. They refuse to talk to the NFL because they have no faith that the organization will mete out any discipline of Favre more serious than, say, a fine in the amount of a third of a percent of his salary, and save what they have to say for the lawsuit.

See? It doesn’t need to be a two year legal strategy masterfully crafted to bring him down when the timing was perfect. It could just be that they thought no one would believe them until the Deadspin pics got out (and even then, based on the comments here — including the “doesn’t seem like sexual harassment based on the tiny bit of information I have right now” in the original article — they’re still fighting that battle).

giablommi says:
Jan 3, 2011 9:03 PM
Sorta funny/predictable that Favrah hangs around the NFL 20 some-odd years and the only time these accusations surfaced were from one year in the cesspool that is the New Jersey Jets. Nothing in 15+ years in Atlanta or Green Bay and nothing in Minnesota.

or maybe this behavior is more broadly accepted in your precious backwoods football is my life towns across america. bonehead. do you think this all just started when the guy came to ny? or do you think THIS environment (and the tail end of his career) were needed to bring it out. go on hating the jets if that’s what you need to do puddin’. but there are some nice celebrity gossip sites that would be perfect for you

I wish the press would just finally ignore lil media whores like Brett I cant even pronounce my last name right,(the R doesn’t come before the V) Sarah Palin and John McCain. Enough already with ALL of them. Quit feedin’ the trolls

I PERSONALLY KNOW ONE OF THE PLAINTIFFS in this case…..!!!
No I don’t really… BUT NEITHER DO YOU!!! AND you don’t know Bret Favre EITHER!!! Maybe the plaintiffs used their employment with a NFL team/organization to hob-nob with star athletes or other perk’s that go along with it, and that includes the spouse. Maybe he actually takes advantage of her position to a greater extent than she does? Who knows… maybe she has had extra-marital affairs with other employees of the org.. Maybe the other therapist is a “slam-hound” that has had relations with 1, 2, or 7 or 20 other players/staff members and Favre was just acting on a hot “tip” from one of his buddies but she just didn’t find his “personality” appealing? None of you know Favre or Christina Scavo or Shannon O’Toole personally so for you to pass judgment on any of them just reveals that the only thing that is a fact is that YOU have flaws in your character.
And asking a coworker out on a date IS NOT HARASSMENT! Maybe the girls and Favre had a discussion(s) about intimate preferences that led him to believe one or both like to engage in “threesomes” and that it wouldn’t be out of context to suggest having one with him? Maybe she came on to him and he just happens to have a chauvinistic, womanizing quirk to his flirting. Being a “pig” is not a crime so long as he does not persist once she has conveyed that she feels his actions were inappropriate. So unless you were in the room, which YOU WERE NOT…. get a life of your own.

Oh yah… These gals choose to be massage therapists for NFL players who like other professional athletes have a reputation of this kind of behavior. so they have to assume some responsibility for the occupational risks just like any other job. After waiting 2 years to proceed with action their actions should be scrutinized and treated with skepticism. Like someone posted earlier, if it was some shmoe like you that had done it 2 years ago and they weren’t pursuing the “gold-digger” angle, they would have gone on with their lives OR they would have filed suit immediately against the Jets org., who would be the true violator in this case.
Does anybody know what the differences are in the laws concerning “W2″employees of the corporation and an independent contractor such as a player?

These therapists were independent contractors and every team has them. Players utilize them off-hours to speed up recovery from injuries. If Favre has directly or indirectly caused them to lose their employment status because of the rejection of his unsolicited advances, he should pay…and pay big. His self-important and entitled persona is catching up to him…as it does with most has-been celebrities who think they are above it all. He wants to swing? Let him do it from the rafters (metaphorically.)

i truly can not be surprised that many men here think that this behavior is okay… and NO, as someone posted, sexual harassment is not MULTIPLE occurrences — it can be 1 incidence and it’s not always what u think — being sexual harassed means u’ve been put into a position where u feel violated and in the workplace it’s unacceptable…

case in point, nearly 20 yrs ago, i was working as an admin asst and i was always early to my job and there was an older man that also was always early. One day, he prints something on the printer behind me. Me, being an admin asst went and picked it up, it was a list of all his at-home porn, i didn’t realize what it was until i had handed it to him…after realizing what it was, i was put in an awful position and felt horrible and not at all safe with this guy around and I had to report him. It made for a tremendously uncomfortable working situation for me and eventually i got transferred…and I am not a prude or anything, but that’s just not what u do at work.

So to the writer of this article — you don’t get to decide what is sexual harassment or not — the law does and the feeling it gives women when it occurs to them is very strong…not feeling safe at work is a horrible thing to go through. too bad most men will never feel that cuz they think it’s just okay to throw whatever they want out there and well if it hurts someone, oh well…

One woman accuses Brett of sexual harrassment and I can agree that it probably didn’t happen.

But wow, now it’s three women who have accused him of sexual harrassment.

That’s a pattern of behavior that violates the personal conduct policy–according to Goodell. Favre should be suspended at least 6 games, with 2 given back for good behavior…oh wait, he’s retiring, so Goodell got off easy.

shiftyvision says: Come on man…. Favre just wanted to get some… now so do these gold diggers.

Be careful what you say–I think there might be a “gold digger” in Nevada and a young college girl who has full pockets for wanting money from a QB. Rape and sexual assualt are not exactly the same, but they are not that different when someone is pressuring you to have sex with them.

Will some of your opinions change when evidence is released regarding exactly what Favre did, or are some of you so blinded by a great QB he can do nothing wrong (which is what Steelers fans are accused of)

jen58, you’re just a disappointing person. All you know is the “perpetrator” was older than you and arrived promptly to work … and you stumble across something private of his …… so you have to go report it.

Ick. When in doubt, you narc out the guy as if he were Hannibal Lecter …… and now two decades later continue to post plublicly on the guy saying “you’re not a prude or anything.”

Yeah, you are. Actually, you’re worse than a prude. You disgust me. Women make fun of guys for being bald, short, fat, hairy back, etc. Should they be entitled to report the matter to HR and then hope to cash in by filing a lawsuit over hurt feelings?

Sadly, the pendulum swung starkly in the direction petty garbage like you seeks. It does seem to be finally working its way back.

jen58, your post was intelligent, honest, and very correct. Unfortunately, you are dealing with men on this site who pick and choose what they think is “acceptable behavior” based on the person who is doing it.

They laugh and say sending ““Kinda lonely tonight. I guess I have bad intentions” to a woman other than your wife is okay and harmless.

But you know damn well if their wife or girlfriend got the same text, they would be furious.

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“Nothing in these situations rises to the level of sexual harassment, and treating greedy opportunists like victims is a slap in the face to women who have been victimized in the workplace. If these women had cases, they’d have pursued them at the time. These are just sharks who smell blood in the water.”

Wish your comment was the first posted, it’s the only one worth reading. If anyone denies that sexual harassment doesn’t exist than they are even more igonorant than I. However your point that “Greedy opportunist” cast a bad light on all women is well taken. Unfortunately many men will paint Favre as a hero, which Casts’ a bad light on all men.

Come on already….many of you are saying that it is as simple as a guy hitting on a chick and not harrassment at all. If they LOST THEIR JOBS because they complained about his behavior, then it is very much indeed harrassment.

“If you’re going to work in the sex industry like Sterger, you have to be prepared to handle an occasional proposition. Same thing if you’re going to be a massage therapist for professional athletes.”

Are you SERIOUS?????

So a woman who works as a licensed “legitimate” massage therapist for an NFL team should EXPECT to be hit on for sex, instead of being treated as a health care professional? And when she complains about being propositioned, she should EXPECT to lose her job, and that’s OKAY with you, Deb?

“Nothing in these situations rises to the level of sexual harassment”. “If you’re a woman over 18 and can’t figure out how to answer “I’m all alone and have bad intentions,” you need to work in a convent.”

Folks, these comments -blaming the victims – are coming from a woman who supposedly works with FEMALE RAPE SURVIVORS!!!!!!

I have to wonder what Deb’s Supervisor would think of all her comments? Seriously, this woman has trashed the Nevada victim of Roethlisberger, the Millidgeville victim of Roethlisberger, Jenn Sterger, and now these two women. The next woman whom Deb believes is a victim of sexual asault or sexual harrassment will be her FIRST.

Deb, you have finally exposed yourself once and for all with these comments and are obviously a sham, and a delusional excuse-maker for white NFL perverted quarterbacks. You are no more a rape survivor aide than I am a Rockette.

We now know that Favre – a married 40 year old Super Bowl winning quarterback – sent photos of his penis to Jenn Sterger. Regardless of whether it was wanted or not, regardless of whether she was a victim of sexual harrassment or not, Brett Favre has established that he is at least that much of a pervert.

Now he is being accused by two women of sending messages for threesomes and other sexual advances, and people are questioning those who would question Favre’s character (what, he DIDN’T send pics of his dick to Jen Sterger????) as well as why these two victims waited two years to file a lawsuit?

Deb, how many times in your “career” as a rape counselor have you seen other victims come out once someone else accused someone of sexual assault or harrassment? I’d imagine it’s not all that unusual.

Brett Favre is being accused of making inappropriate sexual advances on two health care professionals, after we already know he behaved similarly with Jen Sterger. Why is anyone defending this creep? He continues – like Ben Roethlisberger – to show repeated patterns of behavior. Where there is smoke, there generally is fire (As has been noted many times before, has anyone made even a single accusation against Tom Brady, Tony Romo, Phillip Rivers, etc.?).

The fact that these women received no further work from the Jets indeed backs up their claim of harrassment

Sterger was a nude model for Playboy. She worked in the sex industry. According to the report of the complaint filed by the massage therapists, Favre said he was lonely and had bad intentions. That is not harassment. My concern is for women who endure genuine harassment in the workplace. If these women felt harassed, I’m sure they would have pursued it at the time. Women looking to cash in on a celebrity’s bank account aren’t helping victimized women.

@jen58 …

Printing out pornographic materials on a workplace printer–which means they were stored on a workplace computer–is a rules violation in most workplaces. And in some it would be grounds for immediate dismissal. And what did you do? Did you wait two years until both you and the man had long since left the organization and you learned he was wealthy to sue him for undisclosed $$$$? No, you reported it to your supervisor at the time the incident occurred. When you compare yourself to this situation, you do yourself a disservice.

@Ambrose …

Someone posted that the Jets moved to a new training facility and that’s why they changed contractors. The women apparently did not complain at the time, so the Jets didn’t change contractors because of them. The only other possibility is a possible complaint by Favre to the Jets. But from what they’re saying, he blew the whole thing off. No one’s saying the guy isn’t a dog–only that this doesn’t seem to rise to the level of harassment.

Thank you. It’s always nice to meet rational people who can understand the point of a post without getting hysterical. I’ve always enjoyed watching Favre’s kidlike enthusiasm and grit on the field. But I’ve never been under any illusions about his off-field character. The stories about his philandering have circulated since early in his career. He can be a dog and still be set upon by gold diggers. People always assume that if one person is the bad guy, that means the other is the good guy. Doesn’t always work like that.

Surviving a violent attack does not obligate me to turn off my brain, ignore case facts, and champion every two-bit hustler trying to pilfer some guy’s wallet by claiming she is a victim. My concern is and always will be for genuine victims.

When a Nevada woman has a one-night stand with an athlete and texts people she can’t wait to see him again, she has not been raped. So when I “attack” her for suing that man and her colleagues for $3 million, I am not attacking a victim. When a Georgia woman chases a man from club to club, climbing all over him, and has a medical exam showing conclusively she could not have had sex within that time frame, she has not been raped. So when I “attack” her for making a false allegation at the behest of a bitter sorority sister, I am not attacking a victim.

We do not know Favre texted pictures of his privates to anyone. We do not know he suggested threesomes to anyone. We know he’s a randy dog who propositions women not his wife. I find that distasteful, not criminal.

Yes, when you are a nude model–a woman working in the sex industry–you should expect to be propositioned. There is no evidence Sterger was harassed. She did not lose her job with the Jets over Favre. If she is unemployed now, it’s because she kept his voice mails for two years and spread them around until they went viral. Yes, when you have a job that brings you into close physical contact with athletes, you should expect they’ll try their luck, and you should learn how to deflect those advances. I’m not saying it’s right. It’s not right that I can’t walk to the corner store at 3 a.m. But it’s reality. Grow up.

I never said I “worked” as a rape survivor aide (and I’m not sure what that is). I’m a woman who lived through a violent attack. Because of that, I’ve been part of the therapeutic healing process for many women as they pour out details of their violent attacks, just as other experienced women played that role for me in my healing process. Funny… not one of us was wearing a DTF pin or sued later for money. Some things aren’t for sale. And I really don’t care whether some numbnut like you believes me or not. You’re on a bizarre football-themed moral crusade. I’m just speaking the truth as I understand it based on the facts as they’re released.

IN mid 2010 Sterger made similar comments about big bens accuser that Deb did. Sterger also said ines sainz got exactly what she was looking for in september 2010. So sterger and Deb clearly agree on these things. Victim my ass. Stop being a liberal apologist and wake up. Deb is right and always has been.

I always thought (at least one form of) harrassment in the workplace occurs when it includes some element of POWER (and the disparity involved).

(Not exclusively, of course–I mean I know I could run across the hall at work and harass the hell out of a co-worker right now).

But by comparison–a peer of equal standing propositioning another peer contains nothing implicitly sinister or threatening, there is no implied threat if the advance is denied, right?
Now, unless it is downright lewd, or repeated and clearly unwanted, etc. that’s something different altogether –but otherwise, a massage therapist asking out another massage therapist might amount to improper fraternization, at most.

But when the propositioner has AUTHORITY (or is perceived to be in a position of authority/influence over the other), and THEN makes any kind of “unwanted” advance–there’s trouble.

Yeah, there’s a lot of subjectives/gray in there–but that’s the nature of human sexuality, courtship, relationships, and power dynamics.
Yup–the beauty of nature, as observed by closed circuit security cameras, revealed on youtube (and cell phones), and interpreted by juries.

Anyway, if the women (and I’m not sure I entirely trust their skantastic motives, either, while I also know Failvre is an all-star when it comes to scumbaggery) can make the case that Favre’s advances contained some sort of implied threat to their employment standing, they’ve got a much better shot at making their case.

But at its heart, harrassment is about the power dynamic–didn’t Demi Moore & Michael Douglas & Dennis Miller & Donald Sutherland teach you people anything? 🙂

P.S. If my wife were a licensed Physical Therapist, sports trainer, etc. (I would never marry a masseuse) and some clod propositioned her like that, I’d be seeking more than an apology…I’d be after my pound of flesh.

As a subject of SH (I refuse to say victim as I didn’t allow myself to become one), I reported the event 1 DAY after the event. The lapse in time was due to it occurred when the HR director was out of the office. Yes, it was that small of a staff & there was no one in HR at the time. I took the proper steps to report the incident to BOTH HR and a hotline my company had available for such things. Was I afraid I would lose my job? No, because my work record did not include any documentation that I was a disgruntled, trouble-making employee and all of my annual reviews attested that I was a dedicated employee who was also professional. If I would have been terminated, then I had good grounds for a lawsuit due to my prior conduct.

So I have a problem with “victims” that wait such an extreme amount of time to complain. And if reports are true, these ladies didn’t complain to the Jets organization at the time they were “offended”. Afraid to lose your job? How about afraid to lose your integrity by letting a perv off the hook to do the same to others? And, as contractors, it’s possible that a business could choose not to use their services in a future capacity. Does it look bad for the Jets that they chose another massuese company? Possibly, but I don’t have all of the facts and the timeline of how things shook out. So I can’t judge on that.

My point is simply that someone waiting so long to report harassment is suspect or at the very least insecure in their conduct & abilities. I don’t care if we’re talking about Joe Schmoe in corporate America or high profile athletes. If I’ve done my job well and get fired because I complain about SH, then I’ll defend myself to the best of my ability and it will be on record immediately. I can always find another job.

Oh, and Brett Favre is a philandering pig off field but that’s Deanna’s problem… 🙂

Good post. “Subject”–never thought of that one. Reminds me, though, of an experience this past summer … Never discussed it much anywhere until the Roethlisberger case on here, but always think of myself as a rape survivor because I don’t like “victim” either. But when I posted that commonly used reference, a couple of nuts on here reamed me out up one side and down the other that you don’t “survive” a rape. Really? That’s what they think–and I still hope those two find out firsthand one day … maybe in a nice Turkish prison 🙂 Haven’t seen either of them posting in a while. But there have been some real nut cases on this site.

“According to the report of the complaint filed by the massage therapists, Favre said he was lonely and had bad intentions.”

That is not all that was said. From this article: “Favre wanted to have a three-way with Scavo and another therapist.”

This implies that there was much more communication between Favre and the women than just saying he was lonely. Unless you have access to some information none of us have, than you don’t know enough information to start attacking these women. I am very surprised that, with very little information, you are siding with Favre (I understand you aren’t calling him a saint, but your first post denotes you clearly taking sides). Apparently to you, the tie always goes to the man.

Yes, I felt that way during my rape, too. “We have a winner! It’s the man!” Congrats, that comment gets you an honorable mention in the Biggest Asses on PFT contest.

My understanding was that Sterger was a nude model while in the Jets employ–which means she worked in the sex industry while in the Jets employ. That’s why I worded it as I did.

The allegation was that Favre texted another woman that he wanted a three-way and suggested she bring Scavo along. Since he didn’t say that to Scavo, I don’t see how that could be construed as harassing Scavo.

I am not siding with anyone. Since I’m not a junior-high student like you, I don’t view these issues in terms of winners and losers. I’ve made it clear that I find Favre’s behavior distasteful. However, I find it more distasteful when women feign victimhood to for profit. It’s insulting to women who have actually been victimized. If there were merit to their complaint, they would have made it two years ago when it (supposedly) affected their livelihood rather than coming out of the woodwork when Favre’s issues with Sterger became public.

First of all, I would like to say thank you to Deb for commenting on this, without doubt she is the most experienced on this topic. And after going through, recovering, and bouncing back from a traumatic experience enough to help others who have experienced similar life changing situations, my hat comes off to you.

With that being said, Deb can still call bull on this, as a victim herself. Who are you “Richm” to say otherwise on the matter? Were you there? No? Are you a detective? No? Do you have some facts that we don’t? No? What about, were you a female rape survivor yourself? No again? I think that merrits you keeping you dumb ass opinion to yourself. Not to mention, who do you think you are, degrading Debs character when you don’t know her or her situation personally?

The point here is, if the American public would spend as much time worrying about their own lives, or what is happening to this country as we speak, than what some celebrity is doing in their personal lives. Maybe we would all be in a better place, not to mention the media would not feed on this type of thing and this would have probably never even been an issue. Brett Favre is one of the, if not the greatest QB to ever play the game, and that is what he gets paid to do, that is his job and he does and always has done it well. That is as much as anyone needs to know about him. Do I personally agree with his choice of lifestyle, NO. But it is not for me to judge. Everyone needs a victim and a bad guy in a situation like this, and it is easy to point fingers at the wealthy male. But I have personally experienced a female making accusation of me doing erroneous things that were no more true than me typing this post from the moon in an attempt to get paid. So until you have stood on the other side of the bridge, don’t tell me what the view looks like. Thanks again deb.

richm2256 says:
Jan 4, 2011 12:29 PM
We now know that Favre – a married 40 year old Super Bowl winning quarterback – sent photos of his penis to Jenn Sterger. Regardless of whether it was wanted or not, regardless of whether she was a victim of sexual harrassment or not, Brett Favre has established that he is at least that much of a pervert.
—————————–
You mind showing where this is a proven fact? Who confirmed that Favre sent dick pix to Sterger? I’ve been following this pretty religiously and I have never once found confirmation. The only confirmation is Favre left Sterger voice messages. So your “estblishment” that Favre is a pervert is unsubstantiated as of right now.

If you want to call him a cheater or a person that has ill intentions I will agree. But you are basing your so called facts on what is nothing but hearsay at this time.

jen58 says:
Jan 4, 2011 9:12 AM
i truly can not be surprised that many men here think that this behavior is okay… and NO, as someone posted, sexual harassment is not MULTIPLE occurrences — it can be 1 incidence and it’s not always what u think — being sexual harassed means u’ve been put into a position where u feel violated and in the workplace it’s unacceptable…

case in point, nearly 20 yrs ago, i was working as an admin asst and i was always early to my job and there was an older man that also was always early. One day, he prints something on the printer behind me. Me, being an admin asst went and picked it up, it was a list of all his at-home porn, i didn’t realize what it was until i had handed it to him…after realizing what it was, i was put in an awful position and felt horrible and not at all safe with this guy around and I had to report him. It made for a tremendously uncomfortable working situation for me and eventually i got transferred…and I am not a prude or anything, but that’s just not what u do at work.

So to the writer of this article — you don’t get to decide what is sexual harassment or not — the law does and the feeling it gives women when it occurs to them is very strong…not feeling safe at work is a horrible thing to go through. too bad most men will never feel that cuz they think it’s just okay to throw whatever they want out there and well if it hurts someone, oh well…
————————————-
You bring up great points but your situation is much different than this. It wasn’t that these women felt unsafe at work. That was never stated. It’s that they are stating they lost work after the so called incident.

I can agree sexual harrassment is anything a person believes is sexual harrassment. The question with the Favre case is what really happened? Do you know? No. Nor do I. But as of right now nothing is proven either way. And if they were mad because they didn’t get any more work from the Jets organization they should have brought it up 2 years ago when it happened. The fact they waited until AFTER something else hit really hurts their case. It makes it look like they had no issues until they thought they can make money out of it.

My reply didn’t get posted, so I’m trying again. You don’t have enough information about this to imply that these women are “feigning victimhood.”

When the Ben Roethlisberger case came out in Nevada, it looked pretty bad. But, several people, including myself, and I’m sure you, waited until all the facts came out before calling Ben a “rapist.” It’s a good thing we did too because it sure looks like he wasn’t a rapist in that case. But, you aren’t giving these women that same chance. By even mentioning the phrase “feigning victimhood” or implying this is all for profit before knowing more than this article tells us, is ridiculous.

“The allegation was that Favre texted another woman that he wanted a three-way and suggested she bring Scavo along. Since he didn’t say that to Scavo, I don’t see how that could be construed as harassing Scavo.”

I’m sure you have a job or have had one in the past. Any HR person would tell you that asking someone else at your work place if she wants to have a threesome is harassment. I doubt very much that this is all that happened, but I don’t know. I’m going to wait until more comes out before just deciding my opinion on the matter.

But, back to my original point, how can you possibly feel like you have enough information to even throw out the phrase “feigning victimhood?”

What a load of B.S. . These woman are just making a money play. If you are a hired contractor not an employee of the team, I’m not even sure that harassment rules apply in the same manner as if Brett Favre had been showing his “swollen thumb” to Kellen Clemens. The entire legal system in our country is F’d up beyond belief. These two women disgust me. If it really had been a legit issue they would have done something about it long before now. It’s a money grab, plain and simple.